Memento Mori
by CalamitasWrath
Summary: Death is the end of a character's story. But what do those think that encounter the Grim Reaper, and what do they have to say? A series of oneshots. #1: Kamina.


**Author's Notes:**  
Well then, I suppose I should warn potential readers that have gotten interested enough to make it this far: This is, in a way, a bit of a writing practise to me - after all, what better way is there to improve on something than to practise? Regardless, though, I do hope that even under these circumstances, the results of this have come to be an entertaining product. Uh. . . enjoy, I guess?

* * *

Kamina

* * *

Few people can get impaled by the lance of a giant-ass robot while sitting in the cockpit of their own giant-ass robot, and live to tell the tale of it. I'm not one of them.

When just that happened to me, it really kinda ruined not only my day, but the day, of everyone else as well. You see, when that happened, I was in the middle of this big fight together with my group. We were facing off against a bunch of furballs in some giant robots, who just so happened to have one VERY giant robot that we wanted for ourselved. That battle was epic, I tell you, and we were totally kicking the asses of these furries!

But unfortunately... y'see, in my group, there was this one kid, my bro. I always was the one who could talk big, and get others to do stuff, but he was the one who could actually DO the things I kept talking about. He made my crazyness even possible. He however never seemed to realize that it was really him who did everything, that I only motivated him. I always told him to not believe in himself, but rather to believe in me who believes in him, which usually did the trick. But on this one day? I dunno why, but he was totally down. Couldn't keep himself together, which absolutely didn't fit in with our fight – he was the one who made stealing that very giant robot actually possible, you know.

So, realizing that I had to something drastic about this, I left my comrades to deal with those furries in robots, and ran straight for my bro. When I got to him, I jumped outta my mech, right at him, punched him in the face, and told him to grit his teeth! That did the trick. He realized that we all were relying on him, that we _needed_ him.

Satisfied with my work, I went back to my robot, got back into the cockpit, and wanted to head back off into the battle... but then shit went down.

During the fight against these fuzzballs, their leader, some gorilla-man, vanished at one point without any of us realizing. And oh boy, let me tell you, non of us liked what that guy turned out to be doing. While I was helping my bro, that bastard set up an ambush on my mech. The moment I got moving in that thing again, that ass impaled me and my robot with his own robot wielding some giant laser-lance, or something. Since I didn't even see that attack coming, I couldn't do anything about it.

That day, I died.

But even so, I clinged on to my life. My comrades, my bro, my girl, they all were out there. I just couldn't leave them like that. So, using my very last bits of strength, I pulled myself together, and got up once more. Everybody had already written me off, so they were completely surprised when I snapped my bro out of whatever state he had fallen into. With an awesomeness and manliness that no living man could ever hope to match, my bro and me combined our mechas, creating, like so many times before, the most badass one of them all.

When the gorilla bastard saw that, he got totally mad, and started attacking us again, but he was no match for the awesome of our robot. After that, me and my bro, we pulled out an incredible move... or rather, my bro did. By that point, all I was really doing was to make sure my bro could believe in himself, like I actually already did all along. So anyway, all I really did was to make sure that my bro's new move got an incredibly badass name, one that makes your blood boil when you yell it while finishing your enemy!

And that was it. With that move, me and my bro totally finished that gorilla bastard. I had won this battle for us, I had avenged my own death, and I had shown my bro that he didn't need me... yes, a man couldn't ask more for a death.

"Later, buddy..." I whispered, as I finally let go, and let myself fall into the inviting silence that was death. As my body grew weaker and weaker, I managed to pull off one last smile, which remained on my face even after my soul was out of my body.

A good way to die.

After that... I watched my comrades. I watched them all gather around our robot, I watched my bro hectically climb out of his cockpit, expecting the worst...

I watched them open my cockpit, find my lifeless, but still grinning body as it started to rain...

I saw my bro collapse onto the ground, an endless stream of tear running down from his eyes, as the rain turned into a complete downpour...

I saw my girl just stand there, seemingly unable to comprehend what she was seeing, but also crying...

I watched every single one of my comrades cry.

And yet... I felt like I wasn't a part of this all anymore. I somehow realized that all of this wasn't my business anymore. For whatever reason, I knew that they would pull through. That they would manage to go on without me, that Simon would soon enough realize that it was him, and not me, who they really needed.

Yeah... my only real regret was that I could never fulfill my promise to my girl. You see, it was only on the evening before this day that she confessed her love to me. We kissed, and I promised that after today's battle, I'd return it to her ten times over... oh boy, if I had known what would happen, I wouldn't have said a thing, even if it had broken my heart and soul.

But now, there was nothing I could do about it.

I knew that I had seen all that I needed to see in this life. Slowly, I turned around, away from the scene of my friends crying over my death, and towards the black figure that was standing behind me. I was aware that this guy was standing behind me the entire time, but so far tried my best to ignore him. Now however, I couldn't do so anymore.

Now, I faced the skeleton in the black hood.

"Who the hell are you, boney-face?" I asked, maintaining the same confident tone that I always had when I was alive.

Without moving its mouth, the skeleton answered, its voice sounding kinda like the closing of a coffin. "I AM THE STEALER OF SOULS. I AM THE DEFEAT OF EMPIRES. I AM THE SWALLOWER OF OCEANS. I AM THE ULTIMATE REALITY. I AM THE HARVESTER OF MANKIND. I AM THE INEVITABLE. I AM THE PICKER-UP OF UNCONSIDERED TRIFLES... AND JUST SO YOU KNOW, I CAN CONTINUE LIKE THIS FOR QUITE A WHILE."

"Bah, I didn't even understand half the words you used there! Now, dig the wax outta... that skull of yours, and listen very closely, because I'm gonna tell you just who I am! The reputation of Team Gurren echoes far and wide. When people talk about its badass leader, that epitome of manliness, the guy who takes his destiny into his own hands and pierces the heaven, the man that gets up even after getting killed just to avenge his own death, they're talkin' about me! The great Kamina! Just who the hell do you think I am?!" While I did realize that trying to impress the guy that I'm dealing with was kinda futile, I still wanted to show off.

"YES, YES, I AM WELL AWARE OF WHO YOU ARE. I TEND TO BE WELL-INFORMED OF MY CUSTOMERS." The skeleton said with a grin – though, it's not exactly like a skeleton has really a choice but to grin. But right now, it really seemed like an amused kind of grin, instead of the standard creepy one. "I DO HAVE TO ADMIT THAT YOU ARE QUITE THE UNUSUAL CUSTOMER. THE PEOPLE THAT TAKE MY SERVICES RARELY LET ME WAIT ONCE I SHOW UP."

I pulled a wide, mad grin myself. "Keh! I thought you knew your customers, bone-face? Seems like ya didn't know jackshit if you thought that I'd just give up like that! The great Kamina doesn't leave his business unfinished! I will lead Team Gurren to victory, together with my bro, and-" I interrupted myself, having remembered that I would kinda not be doing much anymore.

"Nah... the hell am I saying?" I said, my voice lowered, looking down on the ground. "My part here is done. These bozos won't be needing me anymore. They've got everything they need with Simon..."

After saying nothing for a moment, I looked up at the skeleton guy again, who hadn't moved a bit. "Oy, I hope I'm not wasting your time or anything? I can imagine that you're usually kinda too busy for this sorta thing."

The skeleton raised its hand – the one that was not at the scythe, that is – and waved it. What, was he trying to reassure me or something? " NO, NO, DON'T YOU WORRY. TIME IS NOT EXACTLY A CONCERN OF MINE. I USUALLY GIVE PEOPLE THE TIME THEY NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT THEY ARE DEAD."

"Dead? The hell are you talking about?!" I asked. From the looks of it, the skeleton would've raised its eyebrows if it did actually have any. "As long as my comrades, my girl, my bro keep my in their hearts, I won't be dead." I raised my hand and made a fist, the perfect epic pose for this situation. "No, as long as they remember me, I'll live on as a part of them, and help them create a new tomorrow!"

For a moment or so, the skeleton stared at me, before essentially laughing his ass off – though, kinda in a more amused way than in a mocking one.

"I SUPPOSE I CANNOT ARGUE WITH THAT." It managed to say at some point during its laughing. I however was getting impatient over all that.

"So what now? Can we get on with this entire thing now, or what?"

More or less forcefully, the skeleton stopped laughing. Geez, what a weird guy... "SORRY ABOUT THAT. I JUST RARELY HAVE CUSTOMERS THAT DO ACTUALLY REALISE THIS SORT OF THING. YOU REALLY ARE AN INTERESTING CASE."

"Pah, so what else is new, boney-face? But more importantly, let's just get on with this all already! Take me to whatever place is next! Or wait, better yet: Take me to my old man! I'll tell that guy for not waiting for me like he said he would!"

The skeleton slowly nodded. We vanished.

Looking back on it all... yeah, it really had been the kind of life that I always wanted – just kinda sucked that it had to end so soon. But hey, as long as your comrades never forget you... what more can a guy really ask for?


End file.
